Elon Musk was born in 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa. His father was an engineer, and his mother was a model and dietitian. From a young age, Musk was an avid reader, reportedly devouring books for hours a day. His interests ranged from science fiction to philosophy and encyclopedias.

This thirst for knowledge quickly turned toward technology. At age 10, he got his first computer, a Commodore VIC-20. He taught himself to program and, just two years later, created a video game called Blastar. He sold the code to a magazine for about $500. This early sale was a sign of his budding entrepreneurial spirit, merging his technical skills with a knack for business.

Musk understood that to pursue his ambitions, he needed to be where the action was: the United States. At 17, he moved to Canada, his mother's birth country, seeing it as a stepping stone to the U.S. He enrolled at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where he studied for two years.

His time in Canada was temporary. Musk’s goal was always to get to the U.S., and he accomplished this by transferring to the University of Pennsylvania.

At Penn, Musk pursued two different degrees simultaneously. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the prestigious Wharton School. This dual focus was intentional and proved fundamental to his future success.

After graduating, Musk moved to California to pursue a Ph.D. in applied physics at Stanford University. However, he was there for only two days. The internet boom was exploding, and he felt he couldn't sit on the sidelines. He dropped out to become an entrepreneur, a decision that would change the course of his life and several industries.